What legal action can be taken if a landlord refuses to uphold their end of the lease?
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What legal action can be taken if a landlord refuses to uphold their end of the lease?
The shower tile in the condo that I lease is leaking and must be repaired. The investigation to find the leak took nearly 2 months. The landlord says I do not need to be there when repairs are made but that I must let the repair men in/out. However, I have to miss work for a number of hours each time this has occurred, and the landlord claims this is not his problem. He also fails routinely to give the lease-required 24 hour notice of entry, and states that I must work this out with the repair men. Is there any legal action I can take? Missing work is negatively affecting my finances.
Asked on August 15, 2011 Colorado
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
I am so sorry for your situation. I am a bit confused as to the portion of the lease the landlord is not upholding. Generally speaking, a lease is a contract between the parties that have entered in to the agreement and each party must live up to the obligations that are listed therein. It really sounds to me like this has gone on for way too long and that you are being taken advantage of. So I would go down to landlord tenant court and advise that you are lacking in habitable condition here (I am assuming your shower is out of order?) and that you wish to pay your rent in to court for the time that you are without services and the matter is not fixed. Also ask for an abatement - reduction - of the rent for the time that you have to deal with the problem and that it went un-repaired (at least two months, correct?). I guarantee that the matter will be resolved quickly. Good luck.
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